Page 35 of In Cold Blood (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #1)

“ S o, I guess you know by now they found Keith Erikson’s body,” Alicia said loudly while Noah was upstairs changing out of the wet clothes. As he ran a towel over his head in the bedroom, he glanced out the window.

“Yeah,” he replied, distracted.

She would have also had the means to confiscate illegally poached kills.

He shook his head, not allowing his mind to jump to conclusions. It would have been easy to do so. Ever since he’d arrived in High Peaks, he’d been a little paranoid. Still, he couldn’t shake the thought. Would she have gone that far even if she had nothing to do with his brother’s murder?

Noah came out, drier, and warmer than before. He wore a pair of jeans, no socks, and a blue shirt. “You always did clean up nice,” she remarked.

“Thanks.” Noah glanced at her as he crossed the room, his mind still rolling.

“I mean, can you believe it? All this time. Ten months without any sign of him and Erikson’s body is discovered a few miles from his truck. What are the chances that search and rescue missed that spot? I would love to know who the hiker was.”

“Jack Grayson,” he replied, opening the fridge and taking out a beer.

He cracked the top off and handed it to her.

“Ah, so you’ve been digging?”

“I spoke with Lena today.”

“And she offered that up?”

“Doesn’t exactly take a brain scientist to figure it out.”

“And did she say how Jack ‘stumbled’ across the remains? I must say I love her choice of words. Stumbled.” She laughed.

“Like you stumble across a dead body in the middle of the McKenzie Wilderness.” She tucked a dark curly strand of hair behind her ear and took a seat on the leather couch right beside him.

Axel was curled up in a ball in a bed across the room, his eyes going up and down, his ears perking every few seconds as if eavesdropping.

“Well, his story must have been convincing because they didn’t arrest him.”

“Of course not. He’s a Grayson. If they managed to get Cyrus off the hook, do you think they would let their son get accused of murder?”

“Depends what his story is. ”

“You haven’t talked to him yet?” She took a swig. “I figured you’d be all over that by now.”

“That would imply I’m getting involved.”

“So that little venture out on the water tonight was just for kicks and giggles?”

“County is handling it.”

“Confidence. I like that. By the way, where’s your rental?”

He cut her a glance. “Were you working this evening?”

Her brow furrowed. “Yeah. I finished up about an hour ago.”

“Were you in town before you came here?”

She looked confused. “In the area.” She paused. “Running some errands. Why?”

He nodded. “Just out of curiosity. Where were you on the night Luke died?”

She was about to take a drink when she stopped, the bottle but a few inches from her lips. Her eyebrow shot up. “Are you serious?”

“Just a question.”

“Working. About fifteen miles away. I have two poachers who can vouch for me. Satisfied? Or would you like me to get them on the phone to confirm it?”

He shrugged.

“Geesh, Noah. For someone who thinks County is handling it, you certainly don’t let up. And really. Why would I want your brother dead?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

She stared at him for a second. “So you were out there looking.” She snorted. “I knew it. You Sutherlands are all the same. Always got to be at the helm. Listen, your brother was paying good money for this place.” She rubbed her fingers together. “He was the ideal customer.”

“Do people usually pay in cash? ”

“No, but he wanted to keep it all on the down low. You know, no paper trail.”

Noah remembered what his father had said about the direction the investigation was heading in. They think it’s only a matter of time before they find the trail of money that they were taking and link the two of them together.

“Did Luke tell you he found anything over at the island?”

“No. Did he?”

“Yeah. At least that’s what Ed said.”

“I wouldn’t rely on him. He has a memory like a sieve.”

She set her beer down. “You hungry?”

“No. I ate at my father’s.”

She bounced up with a spring in her step. “You mind if I…” she said, motioning to the fridge.

“Help yourself.”

Alicia rummaged through the fridge, taking out a few beef jerky sticks, cheese, ham, and onion and then grabbing up some bread off the counter to make a sandwich.

“So the rental. Where is it?”

“Trashed. At my father’s. Madeline gave me a ride back.”

She stopped making her sandwich and looked at him. “Everything okay?”

“Four slashed tires, a smashed windshield, and a deer’s bloodied head on the passenger seat sound okay?”

“Uh. You call the cops?”

“Of course.”

“And?”

“And nothing. They’ll look into it.”

“But you didn’t see anything?”

He hesitated for a moment before responding to that. If she was the one responsible, was she fishing to see what he knew? He figured he would lie to gauge her reaction. He had a good handle on whether someone was lying .

“We might have a license plate.”

“Good,” she said, returning to buttering. “Though I would expect the truck was stolen.”

“I didn’t say it was a truck.”

Alicia stopped buttering and looked at him. “Well. It’s obvious it would be a truck. Who’s going to carry a bloody deer’s head in a car?”

“Right,” he said, unconvinced. Still, despite his suspicions, he let it go.

She collected another bottle of beer.

“You think I can sleep here tonight?” she asked.

“It’s your place.”

“Yep, that it is,” she said, sinking into the brown loveseat and taking a big bite of her sandwich. “So. Any luck finding this witness yet?”

“Not so far. Though I have a few ideas up my sleeve.”

Noah got up and went into the kitchen and retrieved the manila folder.

“What you got?”

“My father managed to snag a copy of the autopsy report, the police report, and the call from the woman. There’s also a breakdown of Luke’s calls to dispatch throughout his shift.”

He took out three sheets of paper that listed the call history and incidents he had attended on the night he died.

Every police department operated differently, from local PD to the Sheriff’s Office to State Patrol.

Some worked eight hours but that wasn’t as common, most patrol officers were on ten or twelve-hour shifts.

Adirondack County operated on twelve-hour shifts.

He had been working the second watch from noon to midnight that day.

“Take a look.”

He handed it to her.

Alicia scanned while he sat on the coffee table, hands pressed together, observing her reaction. “Traffic calls, a drunk and disorderly, a domestic, vandalism, a burglary, a brawl down at the pub and brewery. All run of the mill to me.”

“Look at the name of the person involved in a fight down at the brewery.”

She scanned it again. This time squinting a little. “Huh. Cyrus Keller.”

Noah continued. “He was told to leave early that night. He remarked to my brother about keeping his nose out of where it didn’t belong or else.”

“And it just so happens he works for…” she trailed off.

“Harry Carter.” He nodded, filling in the blank.

“Dax said to me that no one else would hire him after his run-ins with the law. It seems Harry Carter is in the business of hiring people with criminal records. Now with him owning Hawk Island and drugs found there — I have to wonder if Luke ever got a search warrant to go over his establishment.”

“It’s not easy to land one. You think he’s operating a drug business out of it?”

“I don’t know but I think they should find out where Cyrus was that night after being sent home and if he won’t answer his phone, and he’s not at his address, maybe he can be found at his place of work.”

She handed it back to him. “Yeah. Maybe. Pity you aren’t sticking around.”

Noah slid the paperwork back into the folder. “Well, I will mention it. I plan to hand everything over to Thorne and Parish tomorrow evening.”

“So, you are going to box it up?”

“Yep.” He took a deep breath and let it out.

“That’s good, Noah.” She leaned forward and placed her hand on his. “I know you want to get your brother justice. I want the same. But it’s probably for the best they handle it. ”

“For sure,” he replied, looking down at her hand.

He ran his thumb over the top of her hand.

She looked at him and he was right back there with all the same feelings he had when they had gotten involved with one another. Alicia leaned in to kiss him. At the last second, Noah turned his face away.

He rose from his seat. “I’m sorry. I… It’s not you.”

With all that had happened, he wanted to forget. To get lost in a moment of desire, where he didn’t have to think about who was walking the streets with his brother’s blood on their hands, but he couldn’t.

Alicia stared back at him for a second or two before getting up and snatching up her jacket. “Changed my mind. I think I’ll head home.”

“C’mon, Alicia. You don’t have to do that.”

“No, I overstepped the line just like I did back in the day. See you around, Noah.”

Noah sighed. He could have tried to convince her to stay but he just didn’t have it in him. The last thing he needed was to get emotionally involved in another relationship before he left.

Alicia hadn’t been gone more than thirty minutes before Noah’s phone rang.

He scooped it off the kitchen counter and glanced at the caller ID.

Noah rocked his head back at the sight of the name and hit accept.

“Parish. I know. I know. I should have told you but you’ll get your hands on it all tomorrow.

” He was referring to the box. He assumed that’s what he was calling about.

To rub his nose in it. To give him the third degree about holding back evidence.

He wasn’t. He had every intention, whether he stayed longer or not, of handing it over, he just wanted a day or two to rummage through it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Listen, we need to talk.”

“Go ahead.”

“In person.”

Noah glanced at the clock. “Parish. It’s late.”

“Meet me at Ridgeway Lodge and resort. Room 30. I need to show you something.”

“Can it wait until tomorrow?”

“No.”

Noah pinched the bridge of his nose. “If it’s related to the case, speak with Thorne or Roberts. I’m not being reeled into your games so you can get back at me for the past.” Noah hung up. His phone rang again, but he let it go to voicemail. He’d had enough surprises for one night.